Scar Tissue
by iEvenstarEstel
Summary: Connor has come to Vancouver to get back something that belongs to him, something that Abby paid dearly for to protect.


Scar Tissue  
2012 Evenstar Estel

When the deafening sound of gunfire ceased and they were all left with ears ringing and hearts palpitating, there stood Connor Temple in the aftermath. He'd come to them, a representative of the Anomaly Research Centre in the United Kingdom, the best scientist and inventor the Empire had to offer in the study of these bizarre rips in the fabric of time. He'd spoken of his year surviving in the Cretaceous Era, and of challenging such creatures as Spinosaurus, Giganotosaurus and something he called a Future Predator. He'd been nervous and babbled, yet affable and in his own way, rather charming. He'd excitedly showed them the technologies he'd developed and how they could help them here in Vancouver. They knew now that another man lurked beneath the surface. Connor Temple was the sort of man who could empty an entire clip from a handgun into the chest of another human being without hesitation. The cold, dark stare in Connor's chocolate coloured eyes was truly chilling.

Then, seconds later, the sound of a baby crying shattered the intense moment and Connor's gun was discarded as he ran through the abandoned warehouse calling for _Nicholas. _The team chased after him, Evan leading the way. They caught up with Connor as he moved boxes and debris aside to behold a toddler no more than a year old. Filthy, red-faced and bawling, the little boy screamed in a terrible panic. Connor crashed to his knees and scooped the sobbing baby up in arms, covering his face with lingering kisses and rocking him to soft tones of _"Hush, Nicky, Daddy's here. It's okay now, you're safe. Daddy's got you. Shhhh."_

Evan stepped forward and loomed over the two on the floor. Connor looked up at the other man with tears tracking down his face.

"Connor..." Evan began. Ken stepped around the Vancouver ARC's team leader with his gun trained on Connor.

"I came home to find our flat demolished and my wife in our son's nursery. There was blood everywhere. He shot her four times, punctured her lung, lacerated her liver, and still she didn't let go of our son. He beat her and tore Nicholas from her. She was half dead when I found her. Even as she was drowning in her own blood she grabbed on to me and made me promise I'd get him back." The group listened in sober silence as Connor recounted the horror of finding the mother of his child dying and their son kidnapped. "Whatever you're going to do, I can take it, but please let him be seen by a doctor first? And let me tell the ARC so they can fetch him and take him back home to England?" Connor begged, cradling the still crying child to his body. "I'll surrender after that. I swear it."

"Ken, put the gun down," Evan spoke with a heavy sigh. The military man shot their team leader a skeptical look, but did as he was ordered. Evan brought out his phone and called Ange back at home base, asking to have his personal physician meet them in the penthouse suite at the top of the building that housed Cross Photonics. Grateful beyond measure, Connor held fast to his son and wept with relief. The team dispersed and Connor followed Evan to the vehicles, not bothering to spare a glance at the dead body of the man Connor still only knew as _The Cleaner._

!*!*!

Connor held his son against his bare chest as he rinsed him clean of the remnants of his soiled clothing and nappy. Evan hung back and observed as the other man tended to his little son. The boy hadn't been fed or cleaned properly in the nearly three weeks he'd been missing. Connor had said he'd lost weight and judging by the scattered bruises and scratches on the child, he'd been roughly handled. After a time, Connor put the plug in the drain of the very large stainless steel sink in Evan's penthouse kitchen and filled it with warm, soothing water. Connor had brought everything he'd need to tend to his son in the duffel bag Dylan had graciously fetched from the apartment they'd given Connor to live in whilst he'd been in the city. He sat the boy down in the steaming water and filled it with the bottle of baby shampoo he'd brought with him. Soon Nicholas was surrounded by bubbles and Connor set about lovingly and gently washing him.

The child hadn't stopped crying until Connor had handed him a bottle full of warm milk and rice formula. He was dehydrated and hungry and had gobbled down his meal. He still held the bottle in his small hands and suckled on the nipple. Evan watched in fascination as the other man talked his son through the process of getting cleaned, constantly kissing his tear stained cheeks and trying to hold back his own tears. As he worked, Connor began a story and told of a woman called Helen Cutter and ending with the events of New Dawn. By the end of the tale, as he gathered up his dozing son in a large towel and carried him to the sofa, Evan understood why Connor had killed the man in the warehouse.

The father had been criss-crossing the globe in pursuit of the man who'd taken his son. His friends, one called Becker and another Matt Anderson followed after their own leads. James Lester had facilitated Connor's coming to Vancouver without a hint of the man's ulterior motive. Ultimately Connor realized The Cleaner's intent and it had led him to British Columbia. Soon after Nicholas had been born, Connor had a breakthrough with predicting the anomalies. It seemed there were changes in the molecules present at an anomaly site, hours and sometimes days before one appeared. Connor had developed some rudimentary technology to detect them. He'd had several successes and failures, but ultimately designed a way of detecting the strongest ones. As he'd followed the trail of The Cleaner, he'd discovered an anomaly would open in Stanley Park. Connor had got there, in the dead of night, long before The Cleaner. If the man had been hopping through anomalies, he'd perhaps had access to Connor's technology in the future. He'd been right, as not too long after the anomaly had appeared, so did the hulking, stone faced man, with little Nicholas under his arm looking dazed and listless. Connor closed the anomaly thanks to another of his creations and challenged the other man for his son. It had ended badly with Connor narrowly being shot to death and once again he was at a loss.

Fortunately by then Connor had befriended Evan and the Vancouver team. He had lied in order to have Evan's vast resources aid in tracking the pair down before they could move on. It had come to a head with Connor and the man face to face. Connor had heard his son's plaintiff whimpers in the distance and proceeded to shoot the other man dead, there being no need to glean information from him, and more so because Connor wanted revenge - pure and simple. This man had riddled Abby's body with bullets and torn her baby from her arms as she lay dying. He didn't deserve a due process to justice. As it was, Connor thought a chest full of bullets was too kind. The circumstances were extreme, but ultimately he was doing as any man would to protect his family. As he pulled the trigger over and over again, he accepted that part of himself died with the man before him. He wasn't sure he had much innocence left now. But, he had his precious boy back.

Connor lay Nicholas on the sofa and replaced the bottle with a pacifier. The child was calm now, belly full and body warmed from the bath. The doctor's visit had been brief. Nicholas had no major injuries. His little body was mottled with bruises from being manhandled, but he'd no breaks or damage to his muscles. The scratches to his face were likely self-inflicted, due to either panic or boredom. All he needed was plenty of food and water. Connor administered the ointment that doctor had left to help soothe the rash on his son's bottom, and wrapped him up in the towel. He'd do without his nappy for a while until he'd had a chance to heal up some.

Nicholas lay passively, content in his father's loving care. Connor picked his son up and reclined on the sofa, laying the little boy the length of his bare chest and letting his son's ear rest above his heart. The steady beat, the warmth and comfort of being safe again let the boy slip under into sleep.

Connor stroked his fingers through the wisps of Nicholas' dark hair. It was pure luck Abby had given the boy a haircut prior to his kidnapping and it wasn't long enough to have tangled.

"Will you let me make a phone call?" Connor asked of the man taking a seat across from him. "Need to call home, let them know I've found Nick. Matt and Becker could be anywhere in the world by now."

"Already done. I had Mac call your man Lester."

Connor nodded in acceptance and began rubbing circles on Nicholas' back to lull him further under. "When are the police coming?"

"Considering no one's called them, probably never." Connor was obviously surprised and gaped for a moment. Evan chuckled and sighed. "Connor, from what you've told me, I really don't think anyone's going to snitch on you. My team certainly won't. What would be the point of punishing you for killing a psychopath that kidnapped a baby and shot his mother full of holes? Seriously. Give me a little credit."

Connor smiled and kissed the crown of Nick's head. "He was the original, I think. The man Helen hired, or seduced, whatever. He's the one she made her clones from. I know what he was going to do. At least, I have a theory. The anomaly that opened in the park led to the Permian. He was trying to find a point in time before Helen died, so he could give her my son. My blood runs cold thinking of her touching him, let alone raising him up as her own. She'd have twisted him into a monster. She'd have pit him against us, against the ARC and me n' Abby. She'd have destroyed my innocent little boy. You know me n' Abby thought it was all over. We more or less had a handle on things since New Dawn. We thought we could finally rest and just enjoy having our family. We were so wrong."

"Understandable, though."

"Perhaps, but who knows what other ghosts from our pasts lurk in the shadows. Too many _what ifs_ in me head now. I don't think I'll ever feel peace again, not after this."

"Give it time. You've got your son back, that's more than a lot of people get, even the most ordinary ones who don't spend their lives chasing after dinosaurs. Listen, why don't you crash here for the night? I'll make some calls, get you on a plane back home tomorrow."

"Haven't slept in three weeks, don't know if I can."

"Well either way, go lay down on the bed with your kid and relax, you've earned it. But, uh, keep the towel on him, the duvet's the best Egyptian cotton money can buy." The grin on Evan's face told Connor that he really didn't care about the bedding and was only trying to lighten the mood. Connor rose and made his way to the bedroom. He kicked off his boots and climbed under the covers, settling the lightly snoring baby down. Connor lay on his side and curled his body protectively around his son's. He pulled the duvet over them and cocooned them in the warmth. In his sleep, Nicholas sought for and found his father's hand, gripping tightly to his finger. Connor kissed his son's cheek and inhaled his scent. As if all the stress, exhaustion and fear suddenly drained from him, Connor fell asleep in moments.

!*!*!

Lester was there to greet him on the tarmac after the private jet Evan had procured landed at Heathrow Airport. Nicholas hadn't been a happy traveller and had been upset or crying most of the journey. Connor shuddered to think what hell his baby had endured to be upset so. Connor had done his best to comfort his son, who clung to him and snivelled. For a span of two hours the little boy had slept curled up tight on his father's chest, tiny fingers keeping an iron grip on Connor's shirts. Nicholas had enjoyed the jars of baby food he'd been fed, including two of custard. Nicholas needed all the calories he could consume. Connor dreaded presenting Abby with him, bruised and too thin, but all would fade under her loving care. They'd have their plump darling back in no time, laughing and demanding his mother's kisses and cuddles.

Connor was surprised when Lester came forwards and embraced them both. It was a brief moment, but it meant the world to Connor. Nicholas looked up at the familiar face of his godfather from where his head lay on Connor's chest. He was wrapped up in an ARC jacket with a freshly powdered bottom and a cloth nappy as his mother had always favoured, under the layers of his clothes. He was warm and his stomach was full. He needed sleep, but not before he was by his mother's side. He'd been away from her for far, far too long.

"I'll take you home," Lester spoke as he patted Connor on the back. Lester's driver loaded the luggage into the boot of the Bentley and opened the back door to reveal a child's seat for Nicholas, but Connor hesitated.

"No, no, to the hospital, please," Connor implored. "He needs his mother..."

"Connor, she was released this afternoon. Jess is with her."

Connor breathed a sigh of relief and held his son a little tighter. They made their way to the car and as soon as they were on their way, he began to ask questions. "Does she know? That I've got Nick."

Lester shook his head. "I know it would've been best for her peace of mind to tell her straight away, but she'd not have rested. She's been in a sort of limbo the entire time you two have been gone, keeping to a routine. We were afraid if we broke that, even with happy news, she'd have a relapse. As it is, the doctors are concerned she'll try to do too much too soon after her surgery."

Connor frowned and turned to look upon Nicholas' face. He hadn't been with her as the doctors had fought to save her life. He'd already been looking for clues and searching for their son. It had torn him in two to leave her, not knowing if she was even going to live, but as she'd taken their golden band from her finger and pressed it bloody into his palm he knew the only course of action was to get Nicholas back. She'd have not had the will to live if there'd been no hope of recovering their son. So long as Connor and the others were on the hunt, she'd have hope and that was a stronger medicine than anything the doctors could do for her. They'd spoken infrequently, if only for Connor to tell her that he loved her and that he'd not give up the search.

He'd kept his promise and rescued their precious child. He'd spend the rest of his life making sure nothing like this ever touched their family again.

!*!*!

Abby moved slowly and carefully back towards the bedroom. Making it to the bathroom and back was a Herculean feat. She was eternally grateful for Jess, who'd helped her bathe and now escorted her to bed. Every step pulled at her stitches and the staples that held her flesh together as it knitted. Her lungs still felt weak and her side was horribly bruised. The other two gunshots had merely been flesh wounds. She'd bear the scars for the rest of her life. She wondered absently how Connor felt about tattoos, thinking she'd like to try and hide the evidence of the brutality visited upon her small frame. Her back and her face were still mottled with purple, yellow and green where The Cleaner's fists had struck her.

As they passed by the empty nursery, Abby felt the now familiar pain of her heart seizing in anguish. Lester, bless him, had spared no expense at having Nicholas' bedroom and the rest of the flat cleaned and renovated as if nothing bad had ever happened in the Temple home. Thinking back to that fateful day, Abby still felt pangs of regret and a tremendous guilt at not having been able to protect her son. She'd be haunted by her failure until death took her. Her body was healing slowly but surely, but her soul was torn to shreds and couldn't begin to mend until she held her baby in her arms once more. The physical need to embrace and kiss Nicholas manifested itself in a terrible full body ache that had nothing to do with her healing wounds. She constantly tried to shut her mind off to the world outside, and to thoughts of her husband and their child. If she dwelled on either of them, she'd break down and her body couldn't handle it. More than once whilst in hospital she'd been overcome with hysterics and had to be sedated.

Connor had told her, in one shaky, tear-filled telephone conversation, that he wasn't coming home until he could bring Nicholas to her. Abby accepted that it might be weeks, months or even years before she saw either of her beloved boys again.

Jess supported her as she eased down on to the mattress, wincing and whimpering as she went. It would be time for another dose of painkillers soon and then something to help her sleep through the night and keep the nightmares at bay. Abby reclined against her pillows and tried to calm herself with even, measured breathing.

"Need anything else? Hungry?" Jess asked.

Abby shook her head. "Thanks. I'm fine for now," she replied wearily. "Wouldn't mind some alone time."

"Okay. Just call if you need anything."

"Thank you, I will."

After Jess had gone, Abby let out a shaky breath and looked to the starry sky outside her window. She remembered the first nights after Nicholas been born, holding him and feeding him at her breast while Connor looked on in wonder. There were kisses and happy tears and the love between the three of them only grew as each day passed. Having their son had bonded her and Connor on a level deeper than either could ever had imagined. It was as if their two souls had melded and become this new little life. In truth, as far as they were concerned, that's exactly what had happened. Nicholas was their whole world and without him, she knew she'd never be able to go on living. The only reason she still was, was because Connor had promised her she'd get him back and that had given her enough hope to fight for her life whilst the doctors put her back together in that first week where consciousness was a living hell.

There was a commotion at the far end of the flat, Jess talking very animatedly at someone and sounds she did not recognize. Then there were heavy foot steps racing towards the bedroom and Abby began to shake in hopeful anticipation. She met Connor's eyes as he appeared in the doorway. He looked stricken and exhausted with hair awry, days of stubble on his face and dark circles under his eyes. Then, he broke into a grin, one so wide and full of such joy that it encompassed his entire face. He pulled back the fabric of his jacket to reveal the bundle in his arms.

She let out such a loud, wordless sound that the baby was startled awake. With arms practically flailing, Abby reached for her son as she erupted in uncontrollable sobs. Connor quickly set Nick down on the bed and watched with pride as the little boy's eyes lit up and he squealed with delight as he trundled his way across the mattress to his mother. Completely ignoring the incapacity of her injured body, she brought her baby up into her arms and crushed him to her, devouring his face with kisses. Nicholas' exclamations of _"Mama! Mama!"_ filled the room in concert with Abby's weeping and Connor joined them in their laughter and tears, his entire body shaking. Jess stood behind him, crying just as much as the rest of them. She lay her hand to Connor's shoulder and squeezed before pushing him towards the bed.

After their excited reunion, Nicholas began to rub at his eyes and yawn. He'd barely slept on the journey home and it was catching up with him. With Connor's help, Abby positioned him on her legs with his head pillowed on her stomach to the side that didn't have stitches. The little boy clutched his mother's proffered hand and Connor slipped a pacifier into his mouth. Abby stroked her fingers through his soft, dark hair as Connor wiped away her tears with the sleeve of his shirt after joining her on the bed.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice choking with emotion. Connor merely nodded, words failing him. Instead, he ran his fingers through her hair and cupped the back her of head as he leaned in close. Their kiss was voracious and desperate, purging the anguish of their weeks apart and the weight of the knowledge of what they'd almost lost. Their passion was fiery, but they pulled apart. It would be a long while before they could reunite as husband and wife as they wanted, but they'd be patient and simply revel in being together again. Connor slipped the leather cord from around his neck and untied the knot. He placed the golden band back where it belonged on Abby's finger. He brought her hand to his lips and bestowed a kiss upon it.

He left her for a moment, to send Jess home, to lock up the flat and to take a moment to compose himself. He was absolutely knackered, but he didn't think sleep would come for him for a good while yet. He'd been surviving on no more than four hours a night since the ordeal began. He couldn't rest just yet, the fear still gripped him. He passed Nicholas' nursery and flashed to the bloody scene he'd come upon. It had been erased in reality, but it still darkened his spirit. Healing from this would not come quickly. He sighed and turned out the lights, plunging all in into darkness. He paused then, and turned back to make his way into the nursery. He reached into the baby's cot and found his son's favourite toy, a soft little stuffed baby blue elephant.

Connor returned to the bedroom and turned on a bedside lamp. Abby had relaxed into her pillows and quietly hummed a lullaby to their son as she traced circles on his back with her fingertips. Connor deposited the elephant at Nicholas' side before covering him with the chenille blanket from the end of the bed. He stripped himself down to his boxers and climbed in next to Abby. He spied the edge of the puckered incision on her chest above the folds of her robe and frowned. Abby pressed her lips together and blinked back tears. He settled himself beside her on the pillows and touched her shoulder, prompting her to look at him.

"They're beautiful to me," he spoke. "I'll look at your scars and feel nothing but love and pride for what you did to protect our son. That's the god's honest truth." Abby sighed wearily and sniffled. "He's dead. I shot him six times. I didn't hesitate."

"Good."

"Nick'll recover, just like you will. He's not so worse for wear. Bit of a rash from not being properly washed. He'll put his weight back on in no time. We'll feed him chocolate ice cream till he's sick of it." Abby laughed and nodded. "Sorry it took so long."

"Hush, Connor. Nothing before the moment you brought him home matters now."

"He'll be okay, love, promise. A few weeks from now he won't remember he was ever gone."

"He'll remember, on some level. But you're right, he'll recover. We all will. I just have to keep telling myself that, maybe I can really believe it."

"You can, you can. Lester told me we don't have to come back to the ARC until we're ready. Or even at all, if that's what you want. We can sell everything and move to Wales if it pleases you. Whatever you want to do..."

"I don't know what I want beyond the next twenty-four hours." Her hand left the baby's back and she pressed her fingers to her husband's lips to silence him before he could speak again. "Just hold us and watch over us while we sleep, okay?"

"Okay, Abby."

He settled under the duvet and pressed himself to her side, laying his head at her hip so he could look upon their sleeping son's face. He closed his hand over both of theirs and leaned in to kiss the baby's forehead.

"Conn? I love you."

"I love you too, Abby."

"You're a good father."

"You're an amazing mother." He squeezed her hand and Nicholas'. "Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a good day."

The End


End file.
